Back To My Future

Sunday July 26th, 2009 - Kenosha, WI/Lake Villa, IL

As spectacular as this party has been, it’s time to pop the clutch and switch gears. I had THE best few days of my entire life and no matter what else happens this will be an event that will stand out as a stellar highlight for me. Not everyone gets that chance to live their life’s dream but I’ve had quite a few actually. None of them compare to this one though.

What I’ve done is hopefully put myself in a position to open some doors and take it to a new plateau. I’ve always talked about that ‘elusive higher level’ but maybe it’s not all that elusive now. It doesn’t matter HOW I got on network TV, all that matters is that I did it.

The reality is I may never do it again but at least I was able to do it once and that’s not a simple task. Nobody can build a career without the first one and now I’ve done that. What I do next will determine if and when it happens again. I need to make some smart choices.

The next logical step for me would be representation. There is only so much I can do by myself and I’m getting close to having done that. I need someone representing me so I can get more TV opportunities and who knows what else? I have a lot of things to offer and it would be to everyone’s advantage to have someone out there shopping me around now.

I know I’m not ‘there’ yet and one little spot can be forgotten about quickly. I’m still on a high from being on TV last week but the fact is Craig Ferguson has done more shows in the mean time and will continue to do more. He’s got a career. I’m hoping to build one.

A quick word about Craig Ferguson: I happen to find the guy extremely funny and I am thrilled I was able to appear on his show for my network debut. I am a fan and he’s also a dented can that is in there fighting every day. I respect him very much and would love it if I could be a regular on that show at some point. I know he and I would hit it off very well.

Johnny Carson loved Rodney Dangerfield and they hit it off. That lasted for years and it put Rodney on the map. If Craig Ferguson and I bonded like that it could catapult me to a spot I’ve always dreamed of and it feels like I am standing at the door now. Will it open?

That remains to be seen. I’ve got a lot of work to do and a lot of decisions to make. This is like a puzzle or a chess game and I love those but each move is now very important. If I blow something now it could take me out of the game forever and I sure don’t want that. I waited to long to get here for a chance to play it so I have to think extra carefully now.

I have to come in with a clear head and humble attitude. I’m not cocky because I know I am still the underdog. I don’t ever want to get full of myself or believe my own press and lose touch of reality. I want to be in the right mindset and I’ve still got a lot of work to do.

The standards I have set for myself are far and away light years from what everyone else expects. I am nowhere near where I want to be even though I do feel I’m improving every part of myself all the time. The last thing I need to do now is think I’m a big comedy star.

The fact is, that studio audience was FANTASTIC. Period. For however many times I’d been on any stage anywhere, that particular group of people on that particular day had my back and laughed at exactly the right places and I will be forever grateful to my dying day to every one of them. That set will be how a vast number of people will get to meet me.

The vibe for those 4 ½ minutes was pure electricity and it happened at exactly the right time. I’ve had audiences like that before but the only ones who will ever see those shows were those who were there on that night. Even if it was 300 people in a comedy club that won’t do me much good the next morning. In this case I caught lightning in a TV bottle.

It doesn’t matter that it wasn’t perfect in my eyes and it totally wasn’t. I know it wasn’t even close to what I can do but nobody else does, or even cares. Fine by me. That means I have plenty of room for improvement and the next few times I’ll raise the bar even more.

I’ll be able to absolutely guarantee I’ll be better next time but there’s no way I’ll ever be able to predict what the audience will be like. Woody Allen talked about how it’s not able to be controlled and I totally agree. It’s the luck of the draw and I drew a winner this time. It’s recorded forever and now I’ll be able to show it to bookers for potential future work.

Next time it could be completely different but I’ll worry about that then. For now I’m in the position of being the ‘hot new guy’ even though I’ve been doing this a lifetime. There are a lot of people both in the public and in the industry who will see this and take notice.

I’ve got some positive attention and have made a hot first impression and that’s a pretty good start but the next question people will have is can I back it up? YES, YES, YES! I’ll be able to come back and take it even higher because I didn’t touch a lick of my polished and proven material this time. I took a major risk by trying to establish my character first.

It will pay off handsomely later because I’ll have material that’s been honed in clubs for years ready to serve up to a TV audience and I’ll be in my element then. Getting this first one out of the way was a major step and I’m thrilled it went so well. It was a training day.
To have as many people react to it as positively as they have has been a dream come true.

The fact remains that my tooth is still broken and my credit still rots and my car is still a time bomb I bought from the auction and I’m still living in a basement like a spider when most other people my age are starting to plan for retirement. Whatever ‘normal’ might be defined as has never been me so I guess I’ll have to custom make a happy life for myself.

If nothing else at least I’ve made it a priority in my life to have some FUN. Nobody else in my immediate family seems to have made that decision and maybe that’s why most of them ignore me. I wish we could all get along and be happy but that isn’t how it’s been.

The people I do get along with and am happy to be around are the crews of both Jerry’s Kidders and The Mothership Connection. Tonight was a super hot show in Kenosha and again calls of congratulations kept coming all night. Let‘s see what‘s next on the agenda.